Label-handling mechanism



March 30 1926 1,578,822

. 1-. J. GLOVER LABEL HANDLING MECHANISM Fi] ed Feb. 9, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 1 T. i l

. INVENTOR 1'. Glover- March 30 1926. 1,578,822

T. J. GLOVER LABEL HANDLING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 9, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'III/IIII INVENTOR :2". J: :3 love? ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

UNITED" STATESLPATENT OFFICE.

TRUMAN J. GLOVER, OF MILLBURN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO FEDERATED EN- GINEERS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,

PORATION OF DELAWARE.

OF JERSEY CITY, JERSEY, A-COR- LABEL-HANDLING ,MECHANISML Application filed February 9, 1924. Serial No. 691,691.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, TRUMAN J. Gnovnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of l\-:lilllmrn, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Label-Handling Mechanism,

of which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in adapted for co-action with an automatic record press and so designed that labels may be expeditiously and accurately handled.

The invention contemplates the provision of means for picking up a label from a stack, transferring itto an adjacent table, and dropping it, and further objects of the invention are to provide simple, practical and efficient mechanism for carrying out this series of operations.

In the operation of presses for molding disc phonograph records, it is customary to manually remove the two top-most. labels from a stack and lay them on the co-acting die surfaces of the press before the plastic record forming material is inserted between the dies. The finished record includes a label on each face. Inasmuch as the presses are operated at great speed and the gummed labels are very difiicult to separate, considerable difficulty involving a loss of time in the operation of the presses hasbeen encountered in manually picking up the labels and laying them on the dies. It is primarily to overcome this difficulty that the present mechanism has been devised. It will. of

course, be understood that'the invention may have. other and broader applications.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 isa view principally in elevation of my improved label handling mechanism, parts being broken away and in section for clearness,

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views, showing successive positions of the mechanism as it is operated to remove. the top-most label from a stack and deliver the same on an adjacent table, and

'- fice for the operation of all.

Fig. 4 is a. transverse sectional View on the staggered line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring with particularity to the drawings, it will be noted thatl have used the supporting frame work for my improved mechanism. Thls frame Work may consist, as shown, of a palr of parallel horizontal reference character 10 to designate general bars 11 between which are arranged transverse connecting bars 12 A table 13 ,upon which labels are to be delivered, is hung from the frameworkin any convenient arock shaft 20 is borne by the hangers.

Near their opposite ends, the sleeves 18 support a cross bar 21, upon which the intermediate portion of a lever 22 is fulcrumed.

A spring 23 anchored t0 the rear frame bar 12 and connected to the cross bar 21, serves to normally retain the sleeves 18 and the mechanism which they carry in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the'ends of the sleeves abutting against stop nuts'24 at the rear ends of the guide rails 17.

As seen most clearly in Fig. 4, brackets 25 turnable upon the rock shaft 20 carry hollow arms 26, to the forward ends of which are attached suction cups 27.

I have indicated afplurality of =arms26 and cups 27 for simultaneously transferring the uppermost labels from a plurality of different stacks. All of these arms are controlled by the same mechanism and operate in exactly the same manner, and a detailed description of the operation of one may suf Each arm 26 is connected at its rear end to a flexible tube 28, which is in turn connected to an air pump 29. The same pump ,may be used in simultaneously controlling all of the suction cups. It will be noted that the'pump 29 includes a piston 30 working in the pump .cylinder, the rod 31 ofthe piston being operatively connected to a crank shaft 32. On the up stroke of the piston, suction 40 bar 35 effectsturningnof the rockshaft' 20,

will be produced in all of the cups 27 and on the down stroke of the piston, air willbe 'forced through the cups.

Referring now to the mechanism for con trolling the mechanical movements of the arms 28, it will be seen that the lower end of thelever 22 has a slot and pin connection with a latch bar 35 fixed intermediate its ends to the rock shaft 20. The opposite end of the latch bar is formed with a latch 36 normally retained by a keeper 37 (Fig. 1); Rocking movement of the lever will effect elevation of the forward'end of the latch bar, and consequent releaseof the' latch to permit forward movement of the sleeves 18 along the guide rails. Lever 22 is formed with an upwardly extending substantially U-shaped portion40, one extremity of which carries a yieldingly mounted buffer 'pin 41 disposed in the path-of a travelling actuator bar 42.

The weight of the arms 26 ordinarily causes the suction cups to rest upon the stacks of labels 15 in the receptacle 14, but

means is provided for elevating the cups and moving them over the tables 13. This means cons'istsof lifting cams 43 fixed upon the shaft 2-0, and carrying laterally projecting pins 44 which engage under the arms 26 to effect elevation thereof. i v I The pump 29 is of course operated in timed relationship with an actuator bar 42 and the-manner of operation of themecha- -'11 is1n'--may be briefly described as follows.

Actuator bar 4=2 travelling from the position -shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 2 engages the yielding buffer 41, rocking the lever on its fulcrum until it en-.

gages the stop and consequently releases the latch 36. The movement of thelatch and consequently moves the pins 44 of the lifting cams into engagement with the arms 26,;turnin-g the 'bracketsw25 on the rock shaft, and elevating the suction cups.

'A's-seen in Fig. 2, the piston 30 of the pump29 is on its. up stroke when the actuator bar engages the buffer so that as the suction cups are lifted, they carry (with them i theuppermost label from each sack. Continued movement of the actuatoi bar moves (the mechanism controlled by. the lever 40 to the position shown in Fig. 3, the sleeves 18 "sliding forwardly on thebars, carryingwith them thehangers 1'9 and the shaft 20 which they support, andmoving the suction cups 5 over the table'13.

26, and consequently effecting release of the- When the actuator bar reaches this position, thepiston 30 of the pump is moving towardthe 'bottom'of the cylinder, forcing air through the'tubes 28 in the hollow arms labels from the suction. cups, causing the labels to drop upon the table. As the bar I.

42 ret urns. from the position of Fig. 3 -to that shown in F ig.v 1, the spring 23 will return the sleeves 18 to their normal position, the combined weight of lever 22, arms 26 and latch bar 35 co-operating to restore the latch bar to the position shown in Fig. 1, and permitting the suction cups to again rest on the topmost labels of the various stacks The means for synchronizing the operation of the pump and the actuator bar forms no part of the present invention, and

obviously, any means might be utilized for this purpose. 1 v

Numerous slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form and ar rangement of the parts .described without departing from the invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth but shall consider myself 1 nism, a reciprocable carriage, a pneumatic pick-up device pivoted thereon, a lever on the-carriage operable to lift said pick-up de vice, and means for moving the carria e in one direction, said means being associated before-moving the carriage. A

3. In a pneumatic sheet handling mechanism, ,a 'rec procable carriage, a-pneumatic with the, lever to raise the pick-up device pick-up device pivoted thereon, means operable to lift such pick-up device, and actuat' ing'-- means 'for advancing the, carriage. through the intermediacy of.the aforementioned means whereby the pick-up device will be lifted the carriage.

4.- In a pneumatic sheet handling mechanism, a reciprocable carriage, a pneumatic" pick-up deviee pivotedthereon, means operable to lift said pick-up device, actuating 1 means for moving the carriage in one direction through the intermediacy of the afore mentioned means whereby the pick-up device will'be lifted prior to movement of the carria'ge, and a spring adapted to return the carriage to initial position.

5. In a pneumatic sheet'handling, mechanism, a reciprocable carriage, a pick-up device carried thereby, actuatlng' means for advancing the carriage, a spring for returnmg the carriage to initial position, a latchfor holding the carriage in initial position, and means controlled by said actuating means for raising'the pick-up'device' and releasing the latch. f i

prior to the advancement of no 7. In a pneumatic sheet handling mechanism, a frame, a reciprocable carriage adapted to slidekthereon, a pick-up device pivoted upon the carriage, a keeper on the frame, a latch lever on the carriage normally engaging the keeper, means on said latch lever for raising the pick-up device, an actuating lever on the carriage associated with the latch lever, a reciprocating driver adapted on the forward stroke thereof to engage the actuating lever initially raising the pick-up device and releasing the latch and then moving the carriage forward, and a spring adapted to restore the carriage on the return stroke of the driver and permitting the latch lever to engage the keeper and the v-pic'zk-up-device to drop by gravity.

8. In a pneumatic sheet handling mechanism, a reciprocating carriage, a pick-up device pivoted thereon, a reciprocating driver for advancing the carriage, a latch for holding the carriage in normal position, a lever system for releasing the latch'and raising the pick-up device, a spring buffer on the lever system adapted to be engaged by the actuating driver whereby the pick-up device is raised and the latch is released before the carriage moves forward, and a spring for returning the carriage to initial position on return of the actuating'driver. 9. In a pneumatic sheet handling mecha tnism a frame a reci rocable carria e mounted to slide thereon, a pick-up. device pivoted to the carriage and adapted to rest on the material to be picked up, a keeper on the frame, a latch lever on the carriage adapted normally to engage the keeper, means on said latch lever for raising the pick-up device, an actuating lever on the carriage associated with the latch lever, actuating means adapted .to engage the actuating lever and operating successively to raise the'pick-up device, release the latch and means for-controlling suction and pres sure in said pick-11p device, operable in timed relation with movement of the pick-up device. y.

10. In a pneumatic sheet handling-mechanism, a receptacle for the sheets to be picked up, a reciprocable carriage, a pick-up device pivoted upon the carriage and resting upon said sheets, a latchadapted to hold the carriage in initial position, means associated w th the latch for raising the pick-up device, an actuating lever on the carriage associated with the latch, a reciprocating driver adapted tocngage'the actuating lever,

and advance the carriage and pick-up device,

said driver operating on one stroke successively to raise the pick-up device clear of the receptacle, release thelatch and advance the carriage, and an airpump for alternately producing suctlon and pressure in the pickup device and timed to produce'suction in the pick-up device during the raising of the pick-up device and the forward moveinen of the carriage. I 11. A pneumatic-,sheet handling mechanism, a pneumatic pick-up device, an arm upon which said device is supported, a traveling carriage upon which said arm is pivotally mohnted, means for normally lock- 4 ing'the carriage against reciprocation, ac-g tuating means engageable with the carriage to effect movement thereof in one direction, means controlled by said actuating meahs for releasing the locking means, and lifting the arm prior to the movement of said carriage.

, TRUMAN J. GLOVER. 

